Italian Fashion Watch

The first hint that we were about to experience something really special was the wonderful scent of pine that wafted through the fall 2007 show space of Fendi, Thursday afternoon in Milan. Then we saw a spectacular, modernist and cerebreal lineup of great clothes.

All that time Karl Lagerfeld’s been spending viewing contemporary art paid dividends with a genuinely eye-popping set of a wooden backdrop, seating bleachers and catwalk all in freshly cut pine that recalled a cool art gallery booth in London at Frieze or in Miami at Art Basel. It also immediately injected a savvy “on est au courant” air to a molto traditional label like Fendi.

Featuring the best casting we’ve seen in Milan – Natascha Poly, Valentina, Lara Stone, Suvi to name a few – the collection was a testament to the way that fur still drives designers to new sartorial heights. From remarkable harlequin sleeved and cuffed white mink jackets to zig zag patterned fox redingotes, this was a gutsy yet sophisticated display.

It was a wonderful interpretation of how to use volume in a way that is novel, flattering and, above all, never improbable. The opening featured some great micro minis with curvy trim, before moving to subtly ballooned looks sure to flatter less than ideal figures.

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Dolce & Gabbana spiced up the sixth day of winter womenswear shows in Milan on Thursday with metal masks, crops and corsets that eschewed cosy warmth for fetish sex appeal.

The audience of buyers and journalists waited nearly an hour for the show, but impatience was quickly forgotten when the models hit the black catwalk in high gold and silver stiletto heels wearing sculpted leather, leopard print and feathers.

The designer duo of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who gave us big cat prints and disco gold at their more informal D&G show on Monday, showed off fur-like fabrics and leathers with corset-shaped metallic belts.

One “dominatrix” carried a silver twisted riding crop and another wore a shiny metal Carnival-style mask. Slim chains looped from hips in what the designers called an “indefinitely fetish” style.

Net tulle wrapped up leopard fur fabrics or provided a gauzy covering for wolfish grey coats.

Tulle was used in ruffles for evening dresses, or they were sheer from groin to floor and splashed with sparkling embroidery.

A deep red feather body was sculpted high over breasts, with a wide black patent corset belt, creating an exotic bird perched on spiky black patent heels.

Standing out from the fur and feathers came a grey silk short dress with a bodice which looked sprayed on with metallic paint.

She has medals on her chest, a silken blouse with fins of frills, a thick skirt and a gold plaque under the laces of her high-heeled shoes. She’s the purposeful new Gucci girl, except that she has matured into all those famous wartime women, from the movie star Katharine Hepburn to the photographer Lee Miller, with the body of a woman and the guts (not to mention the clothes) of a man.

Sounds pretentious for a fashion show? This flirtation with the ’40s was just a theme at the Gucci show Wednesday. But from the thick winter coat that strode out at the start to the ending of silver screen gowns with twin brooches sparkling from sweetheart necklines, the designer Frida Giannini caught the man/ woman mood, with military overtones, of the autumn/winter Milan season.

It was her best show yet, in terms of providing a new, heavyweight image for Gucci, which needs to broaden its scope from skinny pants for spindly celebrities and sexpot dressing after dark. Giannini addressed the dress, making it seem summer, rather than winter, but pretty with an abstract bluebell print and a focus on a sharp and embellished shoulder. Also from the 1940s came tweed knickers, a snug woolen vest and Rita Hayworth waterfalls of hair.

You can wear your favourite designer’s fragrance and makeup every day, splurge on their shoes and a handbag each season and if you are lucky enough to afford it, indulge in the clothing.

And in the fashion capital of Milan you can eat, drink and dance with your favourite designer brand.

Hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés bearing the names of some of the world’s most recognizable fashion names are popping up across the city.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana opened a restaurant and bar called Gold in the fall, joining Giorgio Armani who already had a café, restaurant, bookstore and a nightclub called Privé, housed in his mega Armani store on Via Manzoni. The complex is rumoured to be the site of an upcoming Armani hotel.

Roberto Cavalli has added a café to his empire. The Bulgari Hotel now has a restaurant and the Gucci girl can sit in the café outside her favourite store in the imposing Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle II to people watch or steel her nerves before plunking down a credit card for the latest “It” bag.

Designers have full control on casting the perfect people to personify their image at their runway shows and in ad campaigns.

But when the clothes are available for sale to anyone, sometimes the image gets skewed.

A tour of some of these designer venues during the fall 2007 collections in Milan this week found the same principle applies to their brand extensions.

First stop on Saturday night was Gold, the restaurant, bistro and bar by Dolce & Gabbana.

One would think it would be the perfect brand extension for the designers of a super sexy label who appear to love the nightlife.

But after passing the large gold ingot sign outside the door, any lustre from the metal furnishings was dimmed by the unseductive lighting and the pedestrian crowd.

The bistro is swanky enough, with sculptural chandeliers and metal shutters, but in the bar area exposed brick walls and bright lights seemed to dull the effect of the decorative gold prisms lining the shelves and the bar.

“If the Dolce customer came here looking for some excitement, they would be disappointed,” said Ian Hylton, a Toronto expat who now works in China for Ports International as VP of design for its menswear division.

In the bar area, everyone was clustered in the smoking area – a glass enclosed chamber in the back. The music was far from inspiring and it was hard to look sexy holding a drink served in a ridiculously large glass.

And where were the stylish, sexy, feline Dolce & Gabbana fans? Except for the model-handsome bartenders, the crowd was all tight jeans and little tops that wouldn’t pass muster for the lower-priced D&G line.

The experience was far from the image the duo sells, especially after seeing the spectacular window display at the flagship store or the scintillating photo feature in this month’s W magazine. It features both designers, buffed, and dressed provocatively and posing suggestively with nearly naked models.

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L’Oreal SA, the world’s largest cosmetics maker, said profit rose in 2006 as the company sold more Lancome luxury makeup and Armani Code perfume.

Net income climbed to 1.83 billion euros ($2.4 billion) after adjustment for some items from 1.64 billion euros in 2005, the Paris-based company said today in a statement. The shares fell as L’Oreal said costs related to last year’s acquisition of U.K.-based retailer Body Shop and an increase in research and development expenses would weigh on profitability this year.

Rising demand for luxury skin-care goods has boosted sales at the French company, which spent 652 million pounds ($1.3 billion) last year to acquire natural cosmetics retailer Body Shop. Costs related to that acquisition will be accentuated in the first half of this fiscal year, L’Oreal said today.

“Body Shop is having an impact on overall profitability, even though it’s a small business compared to the whole,'’ said Alessandra Coppola, an analyst with Standard & Poors Equity Research in London who cut L’Oreal to “hold'’ in September. “They are also increasing research and development costs.'’

Shares of L’Oreal fell 1.05 euros, or 1.3 percent, to 80.6 euros in Paris. Coppola said some investors had switched out of L’Oreal stock and into LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, the world’s largest luxury goods maker, which reported sales that beat analysts’ estimates after markets closed yesterday. Shares of LVMH rose 5.9 percent, the most in more than three years.

Armani Code

Before today, L’Oreal stock had added 20 percent in 12 months, the fourth-largest gain in the seven-member Bloomberg World Cosmetics/Personal Care Index, which has risen 17 percent. The shares surged almost 7 percent last month, when the company reported fourth-quarter sales that beat analysts’ estimates.

Massimo Gasparini is Missoni’s new director.

Gasparini replaces Umberto Monte who leaves the Italian fashion house after 40 years of “profitable and intense collaboration”.

47 year-old Gasparini boasting 20 years experience has worked in fashion since 2001, previously overseeing Gucci’s watch division.

Missoni’s classic zig-zag patterns in the boldest hues are popular with Cameron Diaz, Nicole Richie, Jessica Simpson and Demi Moore.

Missoni has said the new appointment will be a new phase in the meaningful expansion of the company.

The company launched its renovated flagship store in Beverly Hills, unveiling a sleeker, more understated side of the decadent Versace style. In addition, creative director Donatella Versace will accept the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style award on Thursday night.

The 5,000-square-foot unit here was the first that the company overhauled from top to bottom.

“Everything is completely brand new, from the floors to the shelves to the ceiling,” said Roberto Lorenzini, president and chief operating officer of Versace USA.

The black-and-white color scheme is accented with Italian crystal display units and glossy black terrazzo marble floors, juxtaposed with matte white walls and ceilings.

“This is a new concept defined by Milan,” Lorenzini said. “For the U.S. market, the renovation is definitely an important step for us, because it’s going to show what Versace is becoming…The boutique is more sophisticated, elegant and modern.”

The store maintains a Rodeo Drive address — 248 North Rodeo Drive — but is located in the open-air Two Rodeo shopping complex, which intersects the iconic shopping street. Tiffany & Co., Gianfranco Ferré, Badgley Mischka and Gucci Fine Jewelry are among Versace’s neighbors in the center.

Gucci and Fendi are planning exclusive branded outlets in India and are now in talks with major retailers like Pantaloon, Lifestyle, Shoppers’ Stop, the Runwal Group and Big Bazaar for the same. Gucci, at present, has a presence here but only in a multi-branded outlet format, making its products just one among the many displayed in malls. Exclusive branded outlets in malls would mean that these brands will get exclusive space to the tune of 2,500 to 5,000 sq ft. Fendi, on the other hand, is making an entry into the booming Indian retail segment for the first time.

Shubhranshu Pani, president - retail services, TrammellCrow Megharaj said, “Murjhani brothers, the partners of The Gucci Group would be setting up Gucci outlets in India. Apart from eyeing malls for setting up outlets, Gucci group and Fendi are also in talks with top hoteliers of the country to set up Gucci branded exclusive outlets within premium hotels in high street locations.” It was in January 2006 that Gucci had identified the Murjani brothers as their partners to enter the Indian market, and then followed with an agreement with them.

Pranay Vakil, chairman, Knight Frank India said, “The demand for international premium luxury brands such as Gucci has taken off well in markets such as Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. But it will take at least six months to a year to decide how these brands take off nationally as more malls are likely to come up in Tier II cities, as well. When branded outlets are developed, consumers look for variety value.”

According to industry experts, a branded company today willingly pays 12% of the gross income by way of rent. In areas such as Linking Road, Mumbai, branded companies pay Rs 500 to Rs 600 per sq ft as rent as they are able to justify the value realisation that exceeds the rent payable at 12% of the gross income. The only exception to this are the international branded companies who have outlets just to promote the brand.